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Jennifer Hill
LIT-902, Professor L. Reimer
Assignment C, Novel Two: Bless Me Ultima
Notes on Secondary Sources

Koss, Erica. “The Big Read: Bless Me Ultima Readers Guide.” National Endowment for the Arts. n.d.,
Web. 28 December 2015.

Though fairly straightforward, Koss’s work would be a lovely supplement to the novel in a basic
skills class. She includes a recent interview with Anaya and a historical timeline to help with context.
Koss reveals a number of details that Antonio shares with Anaya himself, which may give the work itself
more weight for students. Anaya himself grew up in rural New Mexico in the same era as the novel’s
protagonist. His educational and religious experiences, too, were similar. There’s also mention here of the
Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, an important part of history often overshadowed by
African American and Women’s rights movements of the same era. The notes here also emphasize the
mixture of Mexican and Native American culture that is such a huge part of New Mexico in particular but
also the entire Southwestern United States.

Koss also includes a brief section on legends in the novel. I have had very limited success
teaching literary symbolism in my basic skills writing course, and perhaps folk legends would be a nice
introduction to the concept. Koss cites La Llorona (the weeping woman) and the golden carp as two of the
central folk legends in the novel, as well as providing detailed backgrounds for each. She also does a list
of the herbs used by Ultima and their medicinal applications.

The discussion questions she has included at the end of the article provide some thought-
provoking essay topics that I could use at the basic skills level.

Webster, Jerry W. “A Curriculum Guide for Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima.” ERIC Database. ECC
Compton Center. 1994. Web. 27 December 2015.

Webster, a Fulbright scholar, takes a similar approach to Koss, but is perhaps a bit more detailed
in his analyses. As he points out, “an affinity for the land and people of New Mexico” is a fundamental
feature in Anaya’s work. Webster notes that Anaya’s earliest days, hearing ancient tales, stories, riddles,
and jokes from elderly relatives, presented a “rich oral tradition that formed the base” for the novel.

Webster presents a valuable chapter by chapter analysis of the novel, complete with historical and
folkloric context. Highlights of this analysis include the introduction of archetypes on page ten. Webster
suggests that teachers begin by explaining the idea of universal archetypes such as those found, for
example, in the heroic quest, and then literary, and finally, cultural archetypes. He presents an exercise
whereby students keep “separate lists of what characteristics the novel attributes to the following Mexican
cultural archetypes,” such as medicine woman (curandera), witch (bruja), cowboys, farmers, La Llorna
(the weeping woman), and priests.

Webster points out in his analysis of chapter three that the novel presents a “conflict between
cultures . . . reflected in different concepts of manhood. To the mother, life destroys the innate purity God
gives children. To the father, life allows one to be strong and become a man.” Tony’s father is presented
in the novel as one who is not particularly religious, originating from what Webster characterizes as a
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“freethinking” background, whereas Tony’s mother is devoutly Catholic as are all members of her
extended family. There is great speculation in the first quarter of the novel as to which side of the family
Tony takes after most. While he is influenced by both Marez and Luna traditions, it seems clear that Tony
will ultimately be more of a freethinker based on his experiences, though some readers may disagree
given the reverence he shows the Catholic tradition. This question would make for interesting discussion,
perhaps even an essay topic.

On page 14, Webster cites the prejudice Tony feels at his new school, where he is expected to
learn English and strange new ways. I did not see this as Tony responding to prejudice; on the contrary,
he seems surprisingly comfortable with his teachers and his studies, but sad about the fact that in order to
grow up, his life must change. Webster notes on the next page that Anaya has been criticized for “his lack
of animosity toward the white world.” Anaya states, “We have to come out of our own tradition, culture,
roots, our own sense of language, of story . . . . We are who we create.” Here Webster seems to be
grasping for a conflict upon which Anaya does not focus.

Mitchell, Carol “Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, Folk Culture in Literature” Critique Journal.
Academic Search Premier. ECC Compton Center. 1980. Web. 26 December 2015.

Mitchell states that Bless Me Ultima helps to give contemporary Americans of all ethnic
backgrounds “a better understanding for and respect of traditional peoples and their beliefs in the spiritual
nature of the world we live in.” As a teacher of students of diverse backgrounds, I find this crucial—the
idea that the novel is valuable to all Americans rather than just Hispanic Americans. Mitchell describes
the central theme of the novel as examining the “effect that traditional culture has on a particular
individual.”

Mitchell points out that three generations live under one roof after the arrival of Ultima into the
Marez home. The home shows, “the conflict between male and female on a largely symbolic level.” She
notes that Gabriel comes from a conquistador heritage, “exuberant, restless wanderers,” whereas Maria
“is the descendent of farmers who depend on the phases of the moon and the rhythms of nature.” Mitchell
suggests that the “androgynous Ultima” may present a compromise of sorts, as “the archetypal earth
mother” who “combines many of the qualities of both male and female” and can act as “a mediating
influence in Tony’s life.” This notion of Ultima’s androgyny is an interesting one. I pointed out her
sexless, “crone” status in my own analysis, but I did not see it as a happy medium.

Ultima also serves as a bridge between the folk or pagan spiritual beliefs and traditional
Catholicism. “She is wise in her knowledge of nature, humanity, the supernatural and seems to be a
devout Catholic,” Mitchell states. Further, she “uses Catholic prayers” as she collects medicinal and ritual
herbs for the sole purpose of helping others, not to gain personal power or advantage. “She uses her
magic only for reasons she and reader perceive as good.” Still, Mitchell notes that in the world of the
novel, “magic must be fought with magic. Catholic religious rituals cannot take the place of ancient
magic.” This is a distinction that young Tony has a difficult time navigating, and one that is uppermost in
his crisis of faith.